Insulated air duct



8, 1953 L. E. BUTLER ET AL 2,661,769 I INSULATED AIR DUCT Filed April 8, 1950 FJGH.

. .J JGYPT.

06 wMm R M MR5 NE/ mmm 5 W NM wt Patented Dec. 8, 1953 omrso FATE-NT ori ice 661,769 7 INSULATED AIR 'DUGT Leon E. Butler, Philadelphia, and Fredrick l Siemers Haver-town, Pas, assignors to Achenbach -& Butler, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 3, 195 9, Serial No. 154,858 Claims. ((71. 138-434) @ur invention relates to improvement insulated air duct, and more particularly to means for and method of applying block insulation on breeohings and ducts.

One object of our invention is to provide means by which blocks of insulation may be readily and facilely applied on breechings or ducts without the necessity of wiring and tying the insulation blocks on the breechi-ngs or ducts.

Another feature of our invention is that by the use of our improved means and method of applying insulation blocks on breeohings or ducts, the multiple manual operations necessarily performed in connection with such wiring and tying are eliminated.

Another feature of our invention is that the block insulation may he applied to breechings and ducts by unskilled or semi-skilled labor when our improved means and method are used.

Another feature of our invention is that the costs 01 applying block insulation by our improved means and method are greatly reduced over the costs involved when block insulation is applied by the prior art method of wiring and tying the block insulation to the breeching-s or ducts.

Another feature of our invention is that block insulation may be applied to breechings or ducts far more expeditiously by the use of our improved means and method than with the use of any of the prior art means or methods.

Although we have shown and described our invention in connection with the applying of block insulation to breechings or ducts, it is to be understood that our improved means and method may be used for many other applica ion and pu po es- Our invention includes the various novel features of construction, arrangement, and method hereinafter more definitely specified with reference to the accompanying drawings. In said drawings:

Fig. I is a small scale somewhat diagrammatic view of an air duct on which block insulation has been partly appliedby use of our improved means and method.

Fig. II is an approximately full scale view of our improved cli means of a size used for applying insulation block of approximately 1 in thickness.

Fig. Ill is a side elevation of the clip means shown in Fig. II.

Fig. IV is an approximately full size fragmentary plan view of our corrugated band means.

Fig. V is a side elevationrof the fragment of corrugated band means shown in Fig. IV.

Fig. VI is a small scale somewhat diagrammatic view of an air duct of the connery expansion Joint type on which block insulation has been applied by our improved means and method.

Referring to 1 to V inclusive of said draw.

ings; the metal portion of a breeching or air duct on which block insulation is applied is indieated generally at I in Fig. I. When covered with block insulation, a resultant closed breeching or duct is formed which has an air space 2 through which air or gases are conveyed.

A series of spacing means, such as angle bars 3 of a dimension equal to the desired heigh'th of the duct, are mounted on the metal flat sir-r face of the breeching or duct I. Wire mesh 5 of a desired gauge and mesh, say #6 gauge with 6 x 6" openings, is laid on the upper edges of the angle bars 3 and secured thereto by any convenient means, such as by spot welding, to form said all space 2 between the metal or the duct '1 and the pro-formed insulation blocks 6 which are supported by and secured on the wire mesh 5, as hereinafter described.

our improved means for securing the block insulation 6 on the wire mesh 5 includes slips 7 which, conveniently, aresubstantially r'ez'itangu-- lar in shape and provided with "oppositely counterpart slots or openings it and ii. The upper edge of the slot 10 and the lower edge of the slot I2 are provided with respective notches l5 and It, conveniently of approximately the same sizeas the radius or the wire used in forming the wire mesh '5. The slots I0 and '12 of the clip 1 are provided with inward projeotions I1 and 19 to prevent lateral dis lacement or the securing bands 20, or the engaged wire or the wire mesh t, as hereinafter described. The clips 1 are formed with oppositely oou'rn terpar't slots HI and I; merely as a matter of convenience so that either the slot w or the slot I2 may be used for securely engaging either the wire mesh 5 or a scouring band 20 without the necessity of the duct ereotor turning the clip around wheninstalling the block insulation 6 on the duct. When the clips I are formed with oppositely counterpart slots, the notch is of the slot lo formed iii the clip 1, as shown in Fig. II; performs no uti'litarian function when it seemband 20 engaged in the slot in.

. The clips 1 are of varying sizes depending upon the thickness orthe insulating blocks to be in stalled on the duct. In Fig. II we have shown, approximately full size, an insulating block 6 of in thickness with a clip 7 of siib'stai'ideny the dimensions as would be utilised in the installation of insulating blocks of 1 /2" thickness. We have found it desirable to form the clips I of such dimensions that the distance between the upper edgeoi the slot in and the lower edge of eighth of an inch less than the thickness of the insulation olocks to reinstalled, to enaol the blocks 6 to be held tightly between the bands 2t and the mesh 5.

the slot 12 is approximately one- As best shown in Figs. I, IV and V; the securing bands 2|] are formed, conveniently, in strips which are provided at predetermined spaced apart intervals with'a series of corrugations or serrations 2|. The distance between the corrugations 2| depends upon the width of the insulating blocks 6 which are to be applied. We find it convenient to provide the bands with stiffener beads 25, formed between respective corrugations 2 l, to give additional strength to said bands 20. Of course, the ends of two bands 20 may be secured together, as indicated at 23 in Fig. I.

When our invention is used to apply block insulation to a duct of the connery expansion joint type, as indicated in Fig. VI; the apices 39 of the connery expansion joints 3] of the duct 32 are used to support the wire mesh 35, with the wire mesh 35 secured to the apices in the same manner as described above with reference to the securing of the wire mesh 5 on the angle bars 3 in a duct of the construction shown in Fig. I.

Insulation blocks 36 are mounted on the wire mesh and secured thereto by clips I and se curing bands 20. v

If desired, a finishing surface 49 may be applied to the outer surface of the insulation blocks 36 (or blocks 6) in the manner which we have indicated in Fig. VI of the drawings.

Method of application After the wire mesh has been secured to the of the wire mesh and an insulation block having f dimensions of, say 12 inches in width and 24 or 36 inches in length is laid upon the wire mesh, with the longitudinal edge of the insulation block substantially parallel with the transverse wires of the wire mesh.- A securing band 29 is placed upon the upper surface of the insulation block and the notch 16 in the lowerslot 12 of a clip 7 is engaged around the longitudinal wire of the wire mesh 5, and the securing band 20 positioned within the upper slot H] of the clip 1, as shown I 1 in Fig. II. The clip 1 is pushed along the corrugations 2| of the band 20 until the insulation block is securely bound and held on the wire mesh. Additional insulation blocks are secured in the same manner to form a row, as indicated in Fig. I. In fastening an insulation block on the wire mesh; we have found it desirable to have the insulation block so forcibly secured as to have the securing band 29 depress the upper surface of the insulation block 6 as indicatedqat S5 in Fig.

II, and with the clip engaged wire of the wire mesh 5 correspondingly indentedly secured in the bottom surface of the insulation block 6.

Additional rows or block insulation in abutting relationship to the erected first row are applied in the same manner, with the new row of block insulation placed beneath the extending free ends of the securing bands 20 used for the row of block insulation previously applied. Second and succeeding rows of block insulation are secured to the wire mesh and securing bands by additional clips I, in the same manner as heretofore described, until the breeching or duct has been completed, as desired.

We do not desire to limit ourselves to the precise details of construction, arrangement, and method herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential features of our invention, as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An air duct comprising an inner metal wall; fluid passageway spacing means formed in said metal wall; wire mesh mounted on the outer surface of said spacing means; outer pro-formed insulation blocks mounted on said wire mesh; securing bands overlying the outer surfaces of a multiplicity of said insulation blocks; and clip means rigidly securing said securing bands and insulation blocks to said wire mesh.

2. An air duct comprising an inner connery type expansion joint metal wall; wire mesh mounted on the outwardly extending apices of said expansion joints; outer pre-formed insulation blocks mounted on said wire mesh; securing bands overlying the outer surfaces of a multiplicity of said insulation blocks; and clip means rigidly securing said securing bands and insulation blocks to said wire mesh.

3. A duct comprising an inner metal wall; spacing means mounted on said inner metal wall and forming open fluid passageways between said spacing means; wire mesh mounted on the outer portion of said spacing means; outer preformed insulation blocks mounted on said wire mesh; securing bands overlying the outer surface of said insulation blocks; and clip means at the opposite sides of each insulation block rigidly securing said securing bands and each insulation block to said wire mesh; said clip means having an open end slot at one end thereof in which a securing band is secured and an open end slot including a notch portion at the opposite end in which a wire of the wire mesh is secured, said clip means being in engaging contact with the side surfaces of said insulation blocks.

4. A duct comprising an inner metal wall; angle bar spacing means mounted on said metal wall and forming open fluid passageways between said angle bar spacing means; wire mesh mounted on the outer upturned flanges of said angle bars; outer preformed insulation blocks mounted on said wire mesh; securing bands overlying the outer surface of said insulation blocks; clip means at the opposite sides of each insulation block rigidly securing said securing bands and said insulation blocks to said wire mesh; said clip means including an open end slot at one end thereof in which a securing band is secured and an open end slot including a notch portion at the opposite end in which a wire of the wire mesh is secured, said clip means being in engaging contact with the side surfaces of said insulation blocks; and means on said clips preventing the lateral displacement of said securing bands and said wire.

5. A structure as in claim 4, wherein said securing bands are provided with a multiplicity of corrugations selectively engaged by said band slot of said clip means.

LEON E. BU'ILER. FREDRICK J. SIEMERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,611,907 Hall Dec. 28, 1925 1,998,422 McNeil et a1 Apr. 16, 1935 1,998,423 Stubbs Apr. 16, 1935 2,009,619 I-Iufiine July 30, 1935 2,148,496 Park Feb. 28, 1939 2,271,929 Venzie Feb. 3, 1942 2,293,351 Meginnity Aug. 18, 1942 2,370,379 Trippensee Feb. 27, 1945 2,476,499

Lowell July 19, 1949 

